Farewell 2015!

Happy Holidays!

Farewell 2015!

Happy Holidays!

Achievements 2015

Dear families; we wish you all the very best for the festive season and look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

Here are some of the activities we have been busy with during the course of this year!

Rating and Assessment; we were awarded a "exceeding" standard in all Quality Areas. This was a busy and rewarding time for us and we spent significant time critically reflecting on our practices and now are in deeply embedded in the continuous improvement systems as stipulated by ACEQA. We have worked on our Quality Improvement Plan for 2016 and it is available for your consideration at the Office.

As the year began we transitioned to rooms renamed with Aboriginal names as part of the Centre's long term reconciliation actions.

A Quality Working Group sub-committee was established to work on policy review and quality issues with parents at the helm, this has been very successful and we are looking forward to working collaboratively into the future.

Health and Wellbeing Team/ sub-committee has also had a successful year with many initiatives, like reviewing relevant policies and engaging in a whole Centre approach to improving heath and wellbeing outcomes for all children and adults.

This year we also transitioned to electronic port folios in an attempt to increase and optimise parent/ educator participation while upholding our Sustainability goals for the Centre. Significant learning has occurred in this area for all and there are many more enhancements to look forward to!

Participation in Diversity and Inclusion Week at Monash University.

Another major change in our day to day practices, has been the introduction of Regular Outings/ Excursions and we hope to continue these and increase their frequency into 2016.

Due to the receipt of significant funding for professional development this year, educators have been able to access a variety of quality training programs and we will continue to do so into the future.

And most recently, record number attendance at our Annual General Meeting and Art Show!

2 successful working Bees with the leadership/ support of the Parent Community, thank you!

General Sector Update:

Ratios to change in 2016; children aged between 3-5 year: 1 educator : 11 children. We already operate above these ratios so we will continue with our high standards.

Professional Childcare Standard; new agreement signed at Fair Work Commision Aust. This is the EBA under which all employees of this Organisation are employed.

The Big Steps campaign event recently organised by United Voice, saw many of our Educators as well as families march on Melbourne streets to hope for recognition and better conditions into the future!

A new Digital Business Kit and " Live Wires" forums are amongst several exciting developments that were launched by Early Childhood Australia, our sector's major peak body.

All Early Childhood Teachers are now expected to register themselves through the Victorian Institute of Teaching; this will acknowledge these professionals as "teachers" as well as provide access to benefits and resources, such as professional development, to support their profession.

Helen Dunne, Director, Campus Community; visits our Art Show

Art Exhibition 2015

Value our Children, Value our Educators!

No Jab No Play From 1 January 2016, there will be changes to the immunisation requirements for Child Care Benefit (CCB) and Child Care Rebate (CCR).

What are the changes?

 CCB and CCR payments have been conditional on children up to the age of 7 meeting current immunisation requirements. From 1 January 2016, this requirement will be extended to apply to all children up to 20 years of age.

 Children will no longer be exempt from meeting the requirements for CCB and CCR payments if their parents have registered an objection to vaccination on the basis of personal or philosophical beliefs.

 A child must be fully immunised, on a catch-up immunisation schedule or have a valid exemption at the time a parent makes their very first claim for CCB.

 Previously, if parents met the other eligibility criteria, their CCB claim would be approved and they would have a 63 day ‘grace period’ for their child to meet the immunisation requirements. From 1 January 2016 the claim will not be approved if the immunisation requirements are not met. What stays the same?

 Children with medical contraindications or natural immunity which are certified in writing by a General Practioner will still be exempt from the immunisation requirements.  Parents still have the right to choose not to vaccinate their child.

 Child care service providers can still set their own policies around whether or not they provide care to unimmunised children (in accordance with their state or territory requirements).

 If child care service providers or state/territory laws allow it, parents who are not eligible for child care payments can still use child care and pay the full fee.

 If a family is already eligible for CCB and the child misses a scheduled vaccination, the family receives a letter from Centrelink advising the vaccination is overdue. The family still has 63 days to catch up their vaccinations and become up-to-date again. No Jab No Pay 2

Families will be informed by Centrelink that their child/children do not meet the immunisation requirements for family assistance payments, and will be encouraged to speak with their immunisation provider about updating their vaccination records or commencing an appropriate immunisation catch-up schedule. Funding for catch-up arrangements falls into two categories: 1. Free catch up for children under 10 years of age 2. Free catch up for young persons aged 10 to 19 years of families who currently receive family assistance payments (time-limited: 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2017)